"It will change KL Rahul's T20 batting career and fortunes of the franchise as well" - Sanjay Manjrekar doesn't want LSG skipper to open in IPL 2024

Sanjay Manjrekar has urged KL Rahul not to bat at the top of the order for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024.

Rahul aggregated 274 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 113.22 in the nine games he played for the franchise in IPL 2023. He suffered a thigh injury while fielding against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) which kept him out of action for a few months.

While previewing the upcoming auction on Star Sports, Manjrekar opined that Rahul should bat down the order for LSG. He reasoned:

"I have got a very drastic suggestion. Because they have got somebody like a (Devdutt) Padikkal in, open with Padikkal and Quinton de Kock, because all good performances of Padikkal have come at the top."

The former India cricketer added:

"Have KL Rahul bat down the order. It will change KL Rahul's T20 batting career and fortunes of the franchise as well."

The Lucknow-based franchise traded in Devdutt Padikkal from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the auction. In return, they released Avesh Khan to the Jaipur-based franchise, with the exchange resulting in a net addition of ₹2.25 crore in their remaining purse.

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"They must have identified players whom they want to get from domestic matches" - Irfan Pathan on LSG's likely approach at the auction

Prerak Mankad performed decently for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Irfan Pathan feels the Lucknow Super Giants would have scouted a few domestic players heading into the auction. He reasoned:

"There will actually be a lot of work done by their scouts because they have taken out a lot of domestic players. So domestic matches become very important. So they must have identified players whom they want to get from domestic matches."

While terming Devdutt Padikkal's acquisition as a positive development, the former India all-rounder added that LSG need to bolster their domestic backups. He said:

"Apart from that, it's pretty sorted. I think Devdutt Padikkal's move is fantastic. So what they need to do is to get good domestic cricketers as a backup, not the frontline playing XI players."

Apart from Avesh Khan, the Lucknow Super Giants released Jaydev Unadkat, Karun Nair, Manan Vohra, Karan Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Swapnil Singh and Arpit Guleria from their Indian contingent. They have a remaining purse of ₹13.15 crore and can acquire a maximum of six players, including two foreigners.